Emerging Technologies for Waste Biomass to Green Energy and Materials

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable provision of energy and functional materials is a defining factor in guaranteeing the environmental, economic, and social stability of future societies, and therefore the transition from a rigid linear economy to a circular economy including resource recovery, reuse, and recycling is essential.

The vast volume of waste biomass generated by the agriculture sector, pulp and paper industries, wastewater treatment plants, animal slaughterhouses, animal waste and food industry present serious disposal challenges. As a solution, biomass can be utilized as a low-cost substrate in waste-to-energy (WtE) processes to not only generate renewable energy but also produce valuable materials. The development and implementation of commercially feasible technologies, however, remains a challenge.

This Special Issue of Energies aims to collect original research, reviews, or shorter perspective articles that address the utilization of waste biomass as a resource for a sustainable future. It hence addresses all aspects related to the chemical, thermal, and biological routes for the conversion of different types of waste biomass to green energy and functional materials. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary pretreatment technologies that enable the treatment of recalcitrant lignocellulosic waste and its further conversion to a value-added product, as well as cost-effective processes for the valorization of industrial side streams.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Pyrolysis
• Gasification
• Combustion
• Anaerobic digestion
• Pretreatment/fractionation technologies
• Waste biorefinery
• Green energy and fuels
• Volatile fatty acids
• Deriving value from pulp and paper industry waste (e.g., lignin and waste water)
• Agroindustry waste applications
• Waste derived biopolymers
• Fermentation

Dr. Swarnima Agnihotri
Dr. Juliana Aristéia De Lima
Dr. Mihaela Tanase Opedal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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